The Pokemon Battle Lab Brought Pokemon Into The Real World At PAX East

The Pokemon Play Lab booth was an unmistakable location on the PAX East show floor. Looming above the majority of the surrounding displays was a massive Pokemon Play Lab sign to help guide convention-goers to their two booths, but having been a Pokemon fan my whole life, I think I would have found them regardless.

On one side of the walkway was a showcase for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, complete with merch to buy and inflatable Paldean starter Pokemon to take photos with. Wrapping around the booth was a large-scale timeline of every game released in the Pokemon series, big and small, from 1996 until now. Meanwhile, on the other side of the walkway was the Play Lab itself, with lines that the PAX enforcers consistently needed to temporarily cap for capacity throughout the weekend.

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But no matter how long people needed to mill about, they never really seemed to mind. Eager Pokemon fans, some in creative cosplays, posed for photo ops as they waited with plenty of the most recognizable symbols or iconic ‘mons from the series, with the exterior of the Play Lab just as eye-catching as all the happenings inside.

I’m normally a singles battler, but PAX East’s Battle Lab gameplay was focused on the double battles we see more often in pro tournaments. I was already diving into something somewhat unfamiliar, but I wasn’t going to pass up the closest chance I was ever going to get to being a Pokemon trainer. With a laminated type weakness chart beside me and the encouragement of the volunteer as I picked my rental team, I felt prepared to fight.

As a lifelong Water-type trainer, I chose a team that highlighted Tatsugiri and Dondozo. On my first turn in battle, Dondozo ate Tatsugiri, which allowed my tiny little Tatsugiri to pilot it like some kind of fish-mech. This meant I only got to attack once per turn, since my two Pokemon were now operating as one, but man, did my Attack improve enough to be worth it. I was back in my singles battler comfort zone once again.

With Tatsugiri in its orange Curly Form, which increased Dondozo’s Attack by one, I was prepared to go on the attack. As a primarily offensive player (who only recently learned to equip her team with non-damage dealing moves for raids in SV), this was all I could have hoped for. Since we were able to choose four Pokemon from our team to use in battle, I also brought along Ceruledge, built far more toward its Fire-typing than I’d made in my own Violet playthrough, and Pawmot, expressly because it knew Revival Song. As someone who doesn’t often battle competitively, I had a feeling that one-time use revival might come in handy.

It came down to the wire and did require a quick Revival Song after Dondozo was double-teamed into spitting Tatsugiri back up. But me and my fish boys came out on top, and I netted a sweet sticker sheet as a prize. As we wrapped up and shook hands amicably, my host from the Play Lab told me about how the teams we’d each played with were made by competitive Pokemon players. Making a team for rent gives you a unique code that you can share and allow anyone anywhere in the world to rent and fight with your team.

Another colleague had encouraged me to go back to the Play Lab again if I had time to try out the TCG on-site, quelling my fears of being too new to compete by swearing that people at conventions like PAX East love sharing the game with newcomers. I really wish I’d had a chance to swing back by for it, as someone who still mourns the binder full of cards she handed off to her younger cousin when she was in high school. Unfortunately, between appointments all weekend and the line being capped every other time I walked past in my free time, I didn’t get to, but I’m more than keen to try it out at my next convention!

I’m not too upset about missing the TCG half, though, because my experience at the Pokemon Play Lab at PAX East was already incredible. It was just the right amount of friendly crap-talking with fans who also really love the series I’ve been part of since I was a kid, and after a long day on my feet, my battle felt like I was kicking back with a pal and just relaxing – except, in the middle of a convention show floor, surrounded by tens of thousands of people. Seeing Pokemon have such an imposing presence with the Battle Lab at a convention like PAX East felt right to me, as someone who’s loved the series pretty much her whole life.

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